| Places | |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | AWM2021.383.1.2 |
| Collection type | Heraldry |
| Object type | Medal |
| Physical description | Silver |
| Maker |
Unknown |
| Place made | United Kingdom |
| Date made | c 1920 |
| Conflict |
First World War, 1914-1918 |
British War Medal 1914-20: Sergeant Leslie Ernest Willoughby, 4th Battalion, AIF
Description
British War Medal 1914-20. Impressed around edge with recipient's details.
History / Summary
Leslie Ernest Willoughby, a 19 year old enameller, enlisted in the AIF on 15 August 1915 at Holsworthy, NSW. He was assigned to the 12th reinforcements for the 4th Battalion. Willoughby embarked from Sydney aboard HMAT Medic on 30 December 1915 and arrived in Egypt on 7 March 1916. He proceeded to France in late March for service on the Western Front.
In August, Willoughby was promoted to lance corporal, then to corporal on 19 March 1917. He was awarded the Military Medal for 'enterprise and dash in his patrol work', while an acting corporal, for an action at Le Barque, France, in the Bapaume sector.
On 30 April, Willoughby was promoted to temporary sergeant. He was killed during the second battle of Bullecourt on 5 May 1917. His body was not recovered for burial and his name is commemorated on the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial.
His brothers Arthur Edward and Spencer Gordon Willoughby also served and survived the war. Their nephew, Corporal Leslie Edward Willoughby died of illness in New Guinea in 1944, during the Second World War.